Three days—that was how long it took for the many shinobi keeping an eye on us to finally peel away, either due to the increased difficulty of their missions or due to other reasons.
The samurai had clearly noticed them moving around in the shadows and had increased their numbers in the area.
Despite shinobi clearly being better at many things, not to mention generally stronger than samurai, that didn't mean they could be ignored fully.
Nor did it mean that samurai had no means to find shinobi who tried to stay hidden.
The best thing they could have done was to appear openly; that way, they wouldn't have been hunted like that, even if they would still be watched closely.
Even I had clearly gotten some more attention from the samurai, more so than because of our noble appearance.
I was, after all, pretty famous among certain circles, and the people in charge of security of the Land of Iron still knew how to read a bingo book.
Having an S-rank kunoichi without any affiliation roaming around your territory was something you had to be aware of and keep an eye on.
I was, after all, despair-inducingly powerful. Even the samurai knew about Shikotsumyaku and how dangerous it was in close combat, and that was all the samurai had, so I was a major threat.
It surely didn't help that, thanks to the madness of the Kaguya clan of the Land of Water, people with the Shikotsumyaku were considered crazy and bloodthirsty.
How the bloodline of ever-gentle Hamura turned that crazy, I will never know. But clearly, it was the human blood in them.
We noble Ōtsutsuki clearly had no such madness in our blood.
"Are we going somewhere?" Karin asked as she stood on the tips of her toes and attempted to look at the map I was currently looking over.
"We are going to the capital of the Land of Iron, where we can get you a real sword, just like I promised." I couldn't resist ruffling her red hair.
Karin's eyes lit up instantly.
"A real sword?" she asked, voice hushed, like she was afraid the idea might shatter if she said it too loudly.
"Yes," I said calmly. "A real one. A chakra blade, forged properly. Not a toy."
Karin froze.
Then, very carefully, she asked, "Like… sharp?"
"Yes."
Her mouth opened. Closed.
Her eyes just stared at me, as if she had completely forgotten that I had promised her that. And honestly, I suspected she had.
The past few days, she had done nothing but eat sweets, and when she ran out of her candy, she would beg us to get more.
Kanna didn't approve, but thankfully for Karin, my word was final, and so she got as much as she could eat—well, she did have a lot more than she could eat.
But that's a child for you; when allowed, they will get their body weight in sweets.
Even if half of it will go bad long before they can eat it.
It took a few moments without anyone telling her no before she finally believed that she would indeed get her own sword.
And while she had no idea what a chakra blade was, the fact that it was a sharp sword was all she cared about.
Because sharp meant it was real.
And that was exciting. That meant not being treated like a child, and to a child, that was the best thing ever.
Instantly, she was all joy, jumping around on the floor of our hotel room, unable to contain her excitement.
"Wow, wow, wow!" she chanted, little fists pumping the air. "I'm getting a sword! A real sword!"
She then paused, her antics ceasing as an important detail clicked in her young mind.
A question that made my heart ache for her just a little.
Her bright, hopeful eyes locked onto my face.
"Will… will you please train me in how to use it, Kaguya? I really want to fight like you!"
"Naturally," I once more reached out to ruffle her hair. "Since you are getting a sword, you need to be able to use it without hurting yourself."
"Kaguya-hime," Kanna asked, "are you sure it's a good idea? She is only five."
Kanna froze the moment the words left her mouth.
She lowered her head immediately, fingers tightening in her sleeves, posture folding into itself in quiet apology. "I—I did not mean to question you," she said softly. "Only… to make sure I understand."
I turned my head slightly toward her.
"You do," I replied, my tone even. Not cold. Not sharp. Simply final.
Kanna exhaled, relief and submission mingling together. She did not argue further. She never would.
"She is five," I continued, not for Kanna's sake, but because the truth deserved to be spoken. "And because of that, she is malleable. She learns without fear, without hesitation, without the poison of doubt adults drown themselves in."
I looked back at Karin.
"She will not be trained like a soldier," I said. "She will be trained like a child who is allowed to grow freely."
Karin tilted her head, not fully catching the meaning of the conversation, but what she understood was that she would get a sword and training.
She was excited; her entire posture and face exuded pure, unadulterated joy.
Karin's enthusiasm was infectious, but still, I had to bring her back to the present.
"Now, pack your things. We leave in fifteen minutes," I said.
"Okay!" she chirped, her little feet already moving. She grabbed her small bag and started stuffing in the few belongings she had, most of them candy.
Kanna, having recovered, moved silently to her belongings and began packing. She was efficient, with precise, economical movements. No wasted energy.
With everything but Karin's snacks packed into sealing scrolls, we were ready to leave in less than ten minutes. Kanna had long since gotten fully comfortable with handling such scrolls.
Even skilled enough to make basic ones herself.
She was, after all, an Uzumaki.
We left the town shortly after.
The road leading toward the capital was wide and well maintained, carved directly into the mountainside and reinforced with stone. Snow blanketed everything in soft white layers, but the path itself had been cleared recently—likely by samurai patrols rotating the duty, ensuring merchants and travelers could move without issue.
Tall pines lined the road, their branches heavy with snow, bending low under the weight. Every so often, a gust of wind would shake one loose, sending a small avalanche of powder cascading down in a glittering curtain.
Karin gasped the first time it happened.
Then she laughed.
Then she immediately ran off the path and plunged both hands into the snow.
"Karin—!" Kanna started.
Too late.
Karin scooped up a handful and flung it into the air, watching it scatter and sparkle. "It's so fluffy!"
She dropped to her knees without hesitation and began packing snow together with intense concentration, tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.
"Karin," Kanna said again, this time more worried than annoyed. "You'll get soaked. Come back onto the road."
"But it doesn't feel cold!" Karin protested, already rolling the snow between her palms. "Look!"
She pressed it against her cheek demonstratively.
Kanna visibly tensed. "That's exactly what worries me."
I turned my focus in Karin's direction, extending my awareness just enough to confirm what I already knew.
Her chakra was steady. Warm. Vibrant.
"She's fine," I said calmly.
"Kaguya-hime…" Kanna hesitated. "The snow is cold, and she isn't wearing clothes enough to be playing in the snow.
If she catches a chill—"
"She won't," I replied.
I did not slow my pace.
"She is an Uzumaki," I continued. "Her vitality is far beyond normal. Cold will inconvenience her at most."
As if to prove my point, Karin suddenly flopped backward into the snow with a delighted squeal, arms and legs flailing.
"I'm making wings!" she announced proudly.
Kanna stopped walking entirely.
"…She is lying in the snow."
"Yes."
"She is going to soak through her clothes."
"Yes."
"She is five."
"Yes."
Kanna took a breath, visibly wrestling with herself before lowering her voice. "If she becomes ill, it will be my fault."
"No," I said. "It will not."
I stopped then, turning just enough that she could see my face beneath the blindfold.
"You are her mother," I told her evenly. "You worry. That is correct. But you do not need to fear the world harming her at every step."
Kanna swallowed and bowed her head slightly. "As you say."
Behind us, Karin had finished her snow angel and popped back up, snow clinging to her hair and cloak.
"Can I throw one?" she asked innocently, already forming a ball.
Kanna stiffened.
I sighed.
"…One," I said.
Karin's grin was immediate and triumphant.
She hurled the snowball with all her might.
It bounced harmlessly off my sleeve and shattered into powder.
She gasped. "You didn't even flinch!"
"I noticed it," I said.
"That doesn't count," she declared, already packing another. "Stand still this time!"
Kanna looked like she was about to intervene.
I lifted a hand.
"Let her."
Karin threw again.
This one struck my shoulder and burst apart, scattering ice crystals across my cloak.
She froze, eyes wide, waiting to see if she'd crossed a line.
I did not react.
"…Did I win?" she asked cautiously.
"No," I said. "But you aimed better."
Her face lit up in joy as she continued to tumble through the snow while we slowly made our way down the road.
The samurai guards, the merchants, and other civilians on the road just smiled at the sight; none could truly resist the sight and sound of a young child's pure and innocent joy.
(End of chapter)
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